Gate and Key
by ksongz
Summary: The Gate gave birth to world and with a Gate, there must also be a Key. Through the Gate, darkness came forth, overtaking the world. In the battle for humanity Umbralum, the carnation of Darkness was finally sealed away into the Gate, but for how long? Journey with Kasem and Lily as they make new friends, fight the shadows of evil, and find their path towards the light.
1. Umbralem

**Gate and Key**

There is no darkness without light. No light without Darkness...only fools say this. Darkness can exist without light, but light can't do the same. Darkness is but the absence of light and where there is no light, the only thing that exists is darkness. Even if the world became so bright that everything was engulfed with light; even if good deeds were the only things ever to come out of humanity, darkness will never leave. For darkness comes with a thought, and to think, is to have an existence. For as long as there is existence, there will be darkness. And from the Darkness is where evil shall come.

Long ago a beast walked the earth, bringing death and decay wherever it went. Long, black hair ran down the spiny back if the beast. Its pale hands wielded sharp fingernails said to peel the very soul away from the body. Its face was faceless, covered by the veil of mystery and unknown. Who knows what lied beneath its smoky haze. This monster was the son of Darkness, the brother of Shadows, the keeper of Despair. From it, the creatures of the night sprung forth, emerging one by one from the shadow of their master. The villages of the world quickly fell to its destruction, slaughtered by the creatures; but this, this was a merciful death at the time. Others who encountered the Beast face to face were not so fortunate. Their souls were ripped away from their bodies, turning them into servants of the Beast. They were enslaved forever, enduring the pain of losing their humanity, for once they were turned, they could no longer be called human. These people were called the Betsalelvutzah, the group of shadows that stalked the earth. A name is a powerful thing. It gives identity to an object, justifying that it exists in the world. The beast had a name, Umbralum, spoken by few from fear their souls would seep out from their mouths if they did. Everyone called the beast by the name of Shade. And so Umbralum, Shade was born into the hearts of men, never to leave again.

As night conquered day and the stars retreated from the heavens, two families rose up to defend the last of humanity. Their branches trace back to the very origins of mankind, to the first man, the first woman, the first children. Through this lineage a power was passed on to them, one able to stop Shade and seal him away. They were the shimmering light in the darkness: The Maoru family and the Liora family. After decades of constant war with Shade, the families dwindled down to but a few members. In the Maoru family, there remained Farcus and Thalia, their son Kasem, and their maidservant Geneveva. In the Liora family there remained Garus and Kana, their daughter Lily, and their manservant Bertholomu.

Together the remaining family fought endlessly, repelling all creatures and making their way to Shade. With the Liora family was the Power of the Gate. The Gate gave birth to the world; from it all things came forth. It opened itself and life came bursting out from its doors. The trees came forth, the animals came forth, the sea came forth, the light came forth, and so the darkness came forth. But from where all things came to be, they too can return. With the power of the Gate, Garus and Kana fought to return Shade to where it once came, back into the Gate and seal it there forever. And when there is a Gate, there must also be a Key.

The Maoru Family wielded the power of the Key, able to reveal all that is behind locked doors and to keep all things locked from ever becoming free. With the key came the greatest power of all: thought. From the thought came the key's design: an ever-changing design that reflected upon the desires of the key holder. For it was from thought that evil manifested from the shadows, and it is thought that will bring evil to the light. The final push had come. The Maorus and the Lioras stood before the entrance to Shade's domain. Barren trees were lined up all around them; pale and skinny, all crooked and pointing away from where Shade rested. They were rooted to the ground, unable to escape from their horrible fate. Over the years they tried to survive, all reaching for the last glimmer of light, until that too, was taken from them. Now they sit there, lifeless, as a black haze seeped through the cracks in their trunks and onto the ground. Garus and Farcus took the lead, wading through the thick smog; Kana and Thalia followed behind holding their children while Bertholomu and Geneveva took the rear. Garus tapped Farcus on the shoulder.

"The time has come Farcus, we are at the end of the world. If we walk this path Shade should be just ahead."

"Do not be afraid to say its real name Garus. Umbralum will feed on our fear and overwhelm us before we even reach it. Strengthen your mind, steel your heart, and move with courage."

Farcus turned around and faced his wife.

"It's time to stop playing the helpless wife my dear. Give Kasem to Geneveva and join us."

Garus turned around and faced his wife.

"You too Kana, let's do this like the old days."

Thalia and Kana looked at each other, then at their child. Both of them knew that this was probably the last time they can ever see their faces again. They nuzzled them to their bosoms as tears ran down their cheeks. It was a heartbreaking feeling to be leaving their children, but the thought that their child would never feel the warmth of their mother was even more excruciating. There they sat, trying as hard as they could to savor the moment, hoping that their children would somehow remember the love that was pouring into them. But now, the time had come for mother and child to part ways. Thalia kissed Kasem on the forehead and gave him a blessing.

"Be strong Kasem. Grow up to be a man with heart. Always love the ones close to you, and give love to those that surround you. When the world tries to crush you, embrace it, endure it, and show the world the wonders that kindness can bring. If the dark surrounds you, know that I am here with you. Even if you get consumed, even if I am no longer anymore, not even Time can take away my love for you. Show the world the power of light. Show the world that you are my son. I love you Kasem. Be safe now."

Kana kissed Lily on the forehead and gave her a blessing.

"My dear, sweet Lily, have strength in yourself. Though this world will batter your body, it can never damage your soul. Grow up to be a woman with passion. Follow your heart and do not stray from the path of light. Don't worry about where life will take you because love, friendship, and kindness will make their way to you. Nurture those that come to you, cherish those close to you, and become the miracle of the world. You will be the flower that blossoms in the dark, when nobody can see or hear where they are, be the scent that guides their way. Go with the breath of life and guide the weary to the light. Always know that mother is with you my Lily. I love you. Goodbye darling."

Both of them kissed their child on the cheeks and walked towards their servants. Thalia stared at Geneveva for a moment. It was like time itself had stopped just for the two of them. Tears started to form around the corners of both their eyes and Thalia handed Kasem over to her.

"Take good care of him Geneveva."

"Yes Madam."

"Make sure you feed him well okay?"

"Yes Madam."

As Thalia instructed Geneveva on what to do, the tears could no longer be held back. It swept down their cheeks because they knew that this was their final goodbye.

"Always keep your eyes on him and don't let him stray too far from you."

"Yes Madam."

"And make sure he stays away from girls okay?"

"Yes….Madam….be safe okay?"

"I will, you too Geneveva."

Kana gave Lily to Bertholomu as well and caressed her face.

"Take good care of her Bertholomu."

"Yes M'lady."

"She will need a wonderful father in the future and I know you can fulfill that role to the fullest."

"Yes M'lady."

Bertholomu and Kana both wiped the tears from the corner of their eyes away.

"Protect her with your life and make sure the boys keep their hands off of her!"

"Of course M'lady. Be safe now Lady Kana."

"You too Bertholomu."

The wives waded their way through the smog and joined up with their husbands. Kana had a thin, delicate structure and long, brown hair and eyes that were accompanied by a tiny mole under her right eye. Thalia had a thin structure as well with shorter, dark blue hair and eyes that had a deep- blue hue to it, like a sapphire refracting light.

Farcus, who was tall and medium-built, held in his hand a small keychain that had a green orb attached to it. He spun the keychain around his finger and out came a swirl of blue and green light, circling around him and engulfing his entire body. A single thought rang through his head: Protect Humanity. The lights immediately centered around the keychain and began forming something in the light. They began bouncing off one another with a beautiful clang, creating even more colors. Each time it bounced off from one another, a little part of the key was created, manifested from light and thought. Farcus thrusted his hand that had the keychain into the air and the light scattered from the orb. There it was, the key, in the shape of an elegant sword. The crevaces overlapped each other in a zig-zag formation. At the base of the sword laid the green orb, shining ever so brightly and showing its appreciation to the new creation. Lines of blue, green, white, and yellow intertwined together to make the weapon that would save the world.

Garus, who was smaller in stature, closed his eyes and clapped his hands together; a small white light appeared between his hands and continued to grow larger. Light broke out between the cracks of his fingers like a new day breaking the horizon. He opened his eyes and snapped his hands apart. A gate emerged from the light; two doors clasped together with a simple design floated in mid-air before him. Garus crouched down on one knee, held his hand to his chest, and muttered something under his breath. Looking up at the gate, he lunged towards it with all his might. With one hand he broke open the gate and entered into the realm of creation. After a moment, he appeared from the other side of the gate weilding a spear and riding a gigantic beast covered in white hair. With a humble and gentle face, the beast resembled that of an albino gorilla that was cladded with golden armor from head to toe.

Thalia and Kana put their hands together and muttered a prayer. The sky above them parted their clouds and a beam of light shot down from the heavens on top of them. The black smog was immediately swept away and both of them were encased in white garment. For a moment it appeared as if they had flapping wings and a halo on top of their head, but it was the light that created this illusion. In the hands of Thalia was a large lance embroidered with red and gold design. At the base of the lance was crest that had the design of a bird soaring over mountains. In Kana's was a bow made of light and on her back was a quiver that held no arrows. As the families took up arms, they look towards Umbralum's domain, towards the final hour. Without looking back they all rushed into the darkness; the final battle for humanity was about to begin.

"Let's Go."


	2. Sealed

Two days and two nights had passed since the battle for humanity started. The claws Umbralum wielded that once ripped out human souls were broken now into different lengths. There were multiple gashes and puncture wounds on its body as well from the battle. Farcus had a huge gash across his left eye that went from his forehead down to his cheekbone. Blood covered the left side of his face. The intricate designs of the key laid scattered across the ground, making a field of green and blue fragmented metal. All that remained now was the base of the key and the green orb.

"Damn it. All of this blood is making it difficult for me to see. Looks like I'm at my wits end here….As the stories said, Umbralum really is the carnation of darkness. This scar hurts like hell also. It feels like all of the heat from my body is escaping away from the opening…and look at the Key…it's in shambles now. I just hope that we bought enough time for Garus to open the Gate."

Garus had multiple gashes across his chest and back that painted his clothing crimson. The spear he obtained from the Gate was nothing more but a broken pole now. Sprawled across the ground was the albino gorilla. Its white coat was now covered with blood and the golden armor was in pieces around it. He looked at the ground and thought to himself.

"Agh…Agh…Agh…I can't go on much longer in this condition. It looks like the others are about done as well."

He looked over to where the albino gorilla laid.

"You have done well Zarach, my companion…my friend. I'm sorry that we couldn't make it through together. Heh, actually, I might be joining you soon so don't you go crying just yet. Haah….I've finally opened the deepest Gate…looks like it's about time to end this."

Thalia's leg and chest had a huge gash across them. On the edge of the gashes was a coat of black goo that seemed to crawl into her flesh. The lance bestowed to her had a crack in it from the tip all the way to the base. Her wounds made it excruciating to stand as she propped herself up with the lance.

"Come on Thalia stand up already!...i know….i know I can do better than this. Farcus, Garus, Kana, everyone's fought so hard to defeat this bastard here. Umbralum, you will pay for all the suffering you've caused. The blood we've spilled here will be the downfall of your reign and we'll make sure you never see the light of day again."

She stared over to where Kana was.

"Hey, Kana?"

Kana's arm was badly injured and had blood dripping down it. At first glance it looked as if all the blood came from her arm, but there was way too much, even for such an injury as that. A closer look revealed that her neck had a gash in it, bleeding down onto her arm. She was getting lightheaded now and wavering a bit. The damage inflicted on her made it impossible to hold her bow any more.

She looked back at Thalia.

"Yes, Thalia?"

"Do you remember that time at Yuya's house?"

"Of course, we were both pregnant at the time and went to Yuya for a break. I know we didn't want to, but Farcus and Garus kept insisting that we go. Like those idiots of our husbands could run the household without us."

"Hah, you got that right. Do you remember when we hugged at Yuya's?"

"How can I forget?"

"Haha, As soon as we hugged, Kasem started kicking my belly"

"Lily kicked my belly as well, they were so happy to see each other."

"I know, they couldn't even wait until they were born yet to play together! ahahah…."

A look of gloom came over Thalia's face. Kana noticed it and tried to comfort her.

"Don't worry Thalia, everything's going to be okay. We'll see them again for sure one day."

Kana smiled at her, but she knew that smile was empty. Still, somehow that smile eased her heart.

Garus staggered forward a little bit, forced himself up, and clapped his hands together.

"Hey, everyone….it's time that we end this now. Are you ready, BEST WIFE IN THE WORLD?!"

Farcus stood up as well, wiped the blood from his face and answered Garus back.

"Ready? We've been waiting on you the entire time Garus! And I don't know about you, but I know I got the BEST WIFE IN THE WORLD! ISN'T THAT RIGHT THALIA?!"

Kana and Thalia both blushed a little bit and looked over at them. In synchrony, they scolded the two.

"Oh shut up you two!"

The guys both bursted out laughing at them. Thalia and Kana soon followed suit in a cute, little chuckle.

A light began to build between Garus' hands and seeped through the cracks of his fingers. Garus looked straight at Umbralum and finished his laugh off with a chuckle.

"Oh man, I can't believe I'm laughing at a time like this. But, this gives me hope for the future. Even laughter can be found in front of this monster. We'll make sure…that this laughter….will stay here….FOREVER!"

Garus snapped his hands apart and the Gate appeared behind Umbralum. It opened and unleashed an incredible power, pulling Umbralum into it. A high pitch screech deafened the air as Umbralum was being sucked in. Just as Garus was about to smash his hands together and close the gate, they abruptly stopped in the middle of doing so. Umbralum was holding on to the gate and trying to claw his way out from it. With it forcing the gate open, Garus couldn't close it, still, he didn't give in. He squeezed with all of his might and collapsed to his knees, trying to close the gate. In doing so, more blood leaked out from his chest until it came bursting out from him. Garus screamed in pain but he endured it. Kana, watching in the distance with horror, screamed out to her husband and started running towards him.

"GARUS!"

He yelled back at her.

"STOP! Stay where you are and do what you have to do! Don't worry about me. Even if I'm hurting, even if I'm at my limits…I'll never break. Because…I'm doing this for humanity…I'm doing this for Lily! SO YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG! BE STRONG FOR LILY ALSO!"

Kana's eyes widened and realization struck her. Yes, Lily, her precious Lily. They weren't just fighting for themselves, but their children's future as well. Kana stopped where she was and walked a couple of feet away from where the Gate was. She stared over at Garus' badly injured back then right at Umbralum's face.

"Yes…this is for Lily…You've killed everyone that ever meant something to me. Because of you I no longer have anyone to call mother, or father, or brother, or sister! But I won't let that happen to Lily. She will have someone to call mother!"

Kana pointed her uninjured arm up into the sky and light shot down in front of her. When the light scattered, on the ground in front of her was a huge ballista made of light. Blood was now bleeding profusely from her neck and down her injured arm, but she stood her ground.

Garus was now coughing up blood. Even in this state, he managed to break a smile and yell back to Kana.

"Good….that's the spirit Kana…you always had the strongest will out of the two of us…and that's why…THAT'S WHY I LOVE YOU KANA!"

Kana broke out in tears as she looked at her husband's back.

"I….I love you too Garus!"

Garus stared at Farcus who was a little off in the distance to his right and said something to him.

"Farcus….everything now….ss in the hands of you and Thalia…Save Lily and Kasem…save the world Farcus…"

Garus became unconscious. Even so his arms didn't give in. The light from his eyes went dim, but his hands were still trying to close the gate. Farcus stared at Garus and yelled at him.

"Hey! Garus! You better not die on me you hear! We've still got children to raise you asshole!"

Farcus stood up and jumped on top of the ballista. He looked over at Kana and realized the grave situation she was in.

"K-Kana! Your neck is-"

"Don't worry about me Farcus. Look at Thalia…Umbralum did something to her I don't know what, but those cuts, they aren't normal. Go to her, she needs you."

Farcus ran towards Thalia, who was barely standing with the help of her lance and embraced her. He caressed her cheeks and hovered his hands over the gashes in disbelieve. The black goo was digging into her skin, turning the area around it purple. Tears ran down Farcus' face as he witnessed the horror in front of him.

"Oh Thalia….Thalia….what did it do to you?...Thalia…"

He took hold of her hand and laced his fingers with hers. He frantically held her hand to his head, kissed it, and then held it to his chest. Thalia focused her eyes on Farcus' face and wiped away his tears gently.

"Far…cus…..I'm….I'm sorry Farcus…."

"What are you talking about honey? You don't have to be sorry about anything"

The tears came out from Farcus' eyes and onto Thalia's hand. She was coughing up blood now that had specks of black goo in it. Her eyes that were once blue were now turning grey.

"Take…Take my lance honey….take it… and defeat that monster….for me…..for Kasem…"

"No…no we're going to defeat it together Thalia…you, me, Garus, and Kana okay?"

The light began to fade from Thalia's eye and her grip began to loosen. In one last desperate attempt, she muttered something to him.

"I….I love you…"

The last breath left her body as her hand went limp and her eyes slowly closed.

"I…I love you too…"

Farcus kissed her forehead and gently laid her down. He picked up the lance beside her and placed the green orb on top of it. Lights emanated from the orb and circled around the lance. It reshaped the lance, breaking bits and pieces of the metal away to reveal a gauntlet inside the lance. The gauntlet had a small socket at the base which the green orb fitted perfectly in. When the orb was put into place, the gauntlet fixed itself on to Farcus' hand and wrapped his arm in light. The lights bounced off one another and wrapped his arm in a combination of white, green, yellow, and blue metal. This was it. This was the key that would lock Umbralum away for eternity. He walked over to where Kana was and got on top of the ballista. Kana aimed the ballista up towards the Gate and Umbralum.

"Are you ready Farcus?"

Farcus looked straight at the monster and steadied himself.

"I'm ready."

Kana pulled the ballista back with all of her strength and shot Farcus towards Umbralum. A trail of white light followed behind him as he was shot into the air. He held out his hand as pieces of the metal around his arm began chipping away from the force of the shot. This caused a mixture of blue, green, and yellow light to swirl around the white light behind, creating a beautiful spiral of color. He now stared Umbralem face to face, fearless, and screamed out in anger.

"UMMMBRRAAALLLUUUMM!"

He lunged forward and was about to lock the gate, but he was stopped abruptly before he could touch the gate. It was Umbralum. Farcus looked down and saw that one of its claws had pierced through his chest. He began breathing heavily and coughing out copious amounts of blood. Somehow, through the slight crack from the Gate that was able to be kept open, it slipped its dirty claws through and skewered Farcus. He grabbed the claw and looked at Umbralum with crazed eyes.

"Y-you…may have been able to kill us...but we still win the war. You will be no more after today Umbralum. May this be the last thing you ever see: the face of your judge. No more will you walk this land. No more will you torment the helpless and kill the innocent….no more….WILL YOU SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. UMBRALUM!"

Farcus strengthened his grip on the claw and began pulling it out from his chest. Each time the claw was inched out, blood spurted out from the wound. He pulled and pulled until his body was freed from the claw. Umbralum gave a blood-curdling screech as Farcus tossed him into the abyss of the Gate. Garus' hands finally clamped together and shut the Gate. Without hesitation, Farcus placed his hand that was encased with armor on the Gate and muttered a prayer.

"To the depths I lock thee. To the end I beckon thee. From creation I return thee. To darkness I banish thee."

Light came seeping through the gate and slowly disappeared. The armor that encased Farcus' arm broke into pieces as he fell to the ground. Farcus hit the floor with a thud and stared into the sky, unable to move.

"It's….it's finally done."

He looked over to where Thalia was. She was still there, motionless on the ground. Even like that she still looked so beautiful, just like she was sleeping.

He looked over to where Garus was. He was still on his knees with his hands clasped together. A pool of blood in front of him and his lifeless eyes depicted that he was dead, yet he still would not give in even in death. Next to him was Kana. A trail of blood suggested that during the sealing she crawled her way over to her husband. Her head, as pale as the moon, laid on top of Garus' lap. She too was lifeless and gone. Farcus looked up to the heavens and closed his eyes.

"I guess…we're not done yet…"

Geneveva and Bertholomu were making their way back to their towns when a flash of light bursted in front of them. Both Geneveva and Bertholomu clutched Kasem and Lily close to their chests as Berholomu excalimed out in confusion.

"What-What is that?!"

Geneveva had to close her eyes because the light was too intense to look at directly.

"I-I don't know!"

The light slowly faded away and in front of them were Farcus, Thalia, Garus, and Kana, all of them shining like the sun. Bertholomu stared in awe and disbelief as he dropped to his knees.

"L-Lady Kana! L-Lord Garus!"

Geneveva dropped to her knees as well as tears began falling from her eyes.

"M-Madam Thalia! S-Sir Farcus!"

The couples smiled at them. Heat and light emanated from them that felt so pure and relaxing. Their wounds that they received from the battle were no longer visible on them. Farcus began speaking to Bertholomu and Geneveva.

"Hello, my friends. We've defeated Umbralum, but it seems that we can't come back to visit you two any longer."

Bertholomu's and Geneveva's eyes lit up as Bertholomu exclaimed.

"No….this can't be…"

Garus began to talk.

"I'm afraid it is so my friend. We're no longer of this world, but the war isn't over yet."

Thalia began to talk.

"Because we're no longer in this world, the Gate and Key will have no one to hold its power."

Kana began to talk.

"If this power isn't trusted to someone, it will roam free and Umbralum will be released."

Farcus looked over at Geneveva and began to talk.

"That is why we are here now; we must pass on this power to the next one in our lineage. Geneveva, let me see my son."

"Yes sir"

Geneveva walked over to him and handed Kasem over. Farcus embraces Kasem as Thalia wraps her arms around Farcus' waist. He placed his hand on top of Kasem's head and muttered something to him.

"My son, you are the one that I love and cherish the most in this world. I know you will grow to be a strong man, a righteous man. With you, I pass on the power of the Key. Keep it safe my son and know that my love will never leave your heart."

Light formed in the palm of Farcus' hand and flowed into Kasem. A small mark appeared on Kasem's tiny hands. It was circle that that had a line going through it, the mark of the Key. Thalia kissed Kasem on the forehead and sent him on his way.

"Goodbye my son. I love you."

Farcus gave Kasem back to Geneveva and Garus waved for Betholomu to give Lily to him.

"Come Bertholomu, let me see my daughter."

"Yes M'lord"

Bertholomu walked over to Garus and handed Lily over to him. He embraced Lily gently as Kana stood by his side and held onto his arm.

"My daughter, you are the gem in my eyes, the most beautiful thing ever on this planet. There will be no other that I will love like this. With you, I pass on the power of the Gate. Keep it safe my daughter and know that wherever you may find trouble, mom and dad will always be there with you.

Light formed in the palm of Garus' hand and flowed into Lily. A small mark appeared on Lily's back. It was in the shape of a square with a circle in the middle, the mark of the Gate. Kana gave Lily a kiss on the cheek and sent her on her way.

"Goodbye my dear Lily. I love you."

Garus gave Lily back to Bertholomu and backed off a few steps. The skies above them parted and a golden light shot down on top of them. They rose into the sky, higher and higher into the clouds. Geneveva and Bertholomu watched in sadness and amazement as their masters ascended to the heavens. In the midst of this, they could hear the faint voices of all of them.

"It's finally over now. The war, is finished."

The pillar of light retreated back into the sky and the clouds shut back together. In the middle of the road was Geneveva and Bertholomu, holding Kasem and Lily, speechless to what happened before them.


End file.
